Better Buds with Mr. Bill: What Is Wrong with My Weed Plant?

Soft Secrets
02 Jan 2015

Mr. Bill, our plant fix-it guy, helps a reader to determine what went wrong with his droopy Cannabis plant.  


Mr. Bill, our plant fix-it guy, helps a reader to determine what went wrong with his droopy Cannabis plant.

 

Mr. Bill is ready to assist you by drawing upon over twenty-eight years of active grow shop experience - including answering growers' questions about the hydroponic industry. Before Mr. Bill opened his first store he worked in the agricultural industry for five years, growing tobacco.

Dear Mr. Bill,

Can you tell me what is wrong with this plant? I'm a beginner.

Thanks,
Stumplee

Hi Stumplee,

Thanks for your question and for providing photos. From what is visible on your pictures, there are several issues in your grow room.

First of all, your pot is too small. You are using a passive watering system called Blumats that gravity feed from a container of water, all contributing to lack of plant food and water. Even the soil looks ugly (although I do not like using that word).

From the photos provided, I cannot see any insect damage but the leaves show a slight indication of the presence of spider mites, but I am not certain and would need to see higher-resolution photos in order to be sure. You could be at the start of an infestation and your plants will be weaker and therefore more vulnerable from under-feeding. So, there are not just one or two deficiencies, but rather multiple. Both deficiencies and over-feeding may cause leaves to curl, droop and burn.

It seems that you may have also had problems with the 'on' time of your lights. I can see quite a few three-blade sets of leaves, which is an indication of light interruptions.

You appear to have flowered the plant too early for proper soil growth. They can flower anytime after eight inches of growth or once there are three to five internodes present, but this plant does not show enough growth for it to have been flowered already. All of your plant's growth seems to have occurred during the pre-flowering/flowering photoperiod (12/12).

All growers should re-pot their plants into the final container before they start flowering them. Let the plants settle into their final pots for at least two weeks before inducing them to flower, in order to prevent stress and to promote healthy rooting and growth - the old root ball does not anchor
itself to new soil very easily while plants are in the flowering phase.

Cheers,
Mr. Bill

 

S
Soft Secrets